Beyond Forever
by yamada michiko
Summary: Nothing is ever easy in this world... especially when you've made a decision which you've seemingly thought was best for you. But when the person you love is dragged into the choice you've made, will you be able to stand aside and stay quiet? He won't, of course. Even it meant laying down his life. Love, after all, knows no boundaries. (ON HIATUS)
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello there guys! So here is another fic from yours truly.**_

 _ **I know, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. It's been truly a long time since I last posted a fic, and I know I promised to some of the readers that I may write another adult fic for these two… but I tore it all up since I didn't feel like it depicts them at all. For that reason, I decided to start this one instead. Just a fair warning though, the ratings may change, since I was also deciding if I will include mature scenes *ehem ehem* later on. This will still depend on my mood and if the story itself calls for it though, and whether the readers and reviewers (assuming you guys are still here,) will support me for it.**_

 _ **This fic was inspired by Kittylyne, and I'm truly thankful that I've found her fic from a different fandom. If I haven't read that one, The Queen's Hand would probably be the last fic I've ever written here. Ugh.**_

 _ **Okay so on to the story. Slight AU, slight OOC. You will understand why.**_

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not, in any way, own Chihayafuru. I do however, own some original characters, ideas and situations and therefore they cannot be used in any other media or similar form without my permission. Anyone who does so will lose all their teeth, assuming they will be lucky enough to escape my clutches. Consider yourself warned.**

* * *

 **I**

* * *

"Heya boss."

A dark-haired man of medium build walked over to a tall woman who stood facing the glass-paneled wall of her office, appearing to be busy looking down to the chaos that was Tokyo. Wearing a blood-red corporate jacket which hugged her curves all in the right places, paired with a pencil-cut skirt of the same color, she looked the picture of a sophisticated beauty.

She tucked a wavy auburn strand of hair behind her ear. "Akatsuki. I trust that I have good news from you?" She asked without turning to face him.

He inwardly snorted at his mistress's lack of courtesy. "I do and I hope you'll be amused." He moved to open one of the windows in her office which she could allow before lifting a stick of cigarette to his lips and lighting it. "Our men tells us that he's already returning today. The man's on his way now as we speak. He's expected to arrive sometime this morning."

She then finally turned to face him, revealing a heart-shaped face and amber eyes which blinked at him from under long lashes, her expression set into hard, fierce lines. "Can we trust that information?"

The man called Akatsuki snorted openly now, obviously unimpressed. He reached into his pockets and pulled a smooth, glossy paper out, handing it to her as she approached him, arm held out for it. She smoothed it out before turning it, eyes widening and breath catching as her gaze settled on a man who appeared to be in his late twenties captured about to enter what looked like an airport terminal. Even with just the picture she could tell he had a commanding presence about him, his frozen strides graceful and lithe, like that of a panther.

He has definitely grown into a quite good-looking man.

"Finally." A feral smile graced her lips, one which made Akatsuki shiver. "And the other target?"

Akatsuki flicked the ashes off his cigarette outside the window, ignoring her obvious displeasure. "Alive and well. She's where we expected her to be." He turned to her then, wariness gracing his expression. "But why on earth do you want her? She's not exactly a suitable target. In case you're forgetting, she's still quite well-known. If she disappears, the whole country will know."

"She's the perfect bait. By using her you know we could lure him out." She explained, her expression changing into what looked like mild chagrin. "I didn't exactly want to drag her into this, but she's essential. We'll be able to use her to get to him." She crumpled the photo as her hand curled into a fist. "I've waited for so long, and I have everything covered. All we have to do now is to set the plan into motion."

He ruffled his hair, not in the mood to argue with her further. "I hope you know what you're doing."

She glanced at him, and the manic glint in her eyes made another shiver curl down in his spine. "Oh, I do. He'll be sorry he ever took that case in the first place."

* * *

Ayase Chihaya felt like she was about to burst – she was bubbling with nervous energy, and she knew it was showing in her face – the way her eyes lit up, the flush in her cheeks, the trembling of her hands as she tried to make herself look decent by dusting her cheeks with powder to reduce shine and applying a small amount of mascara and lipstick. She hadn't felt this excited for months - not even when the karuta team she had been coaching had won the championships of the Tokyo regionals five months ago, or even when…

She shook her head, chastising herself mentally for allowing her thoughts to stray, then hurriedly picked up her purse, checked herself one more time on the mirror to see if she was all good, then pirouetted gracefully on her heels to rush off to the door of her apartment, grabbing up her keys from the center table in her living room as she made her way to the door. After locking the door behind her, she broke into a mad power walk to the stairway which led to the parking lot, and broke into a short jog towards her black Mercedes-Benz convertible which she had managed to acquire while juggling her teaching and modeling career. After unlocking it, she climbed in immediately, tossing her purse onto the seat beside it and gunning the engine to a soft purr before backing out of the driveway and speeding off.

She was supposed to pick up Kana-chan from her family store today at nine-thirty, but it soon became apparent that she was, undoubtedly, going to be late. Coming home late last night due to a shoot which ran late as well had seen to her disregarding her alarm which she had set at seven-thirty. Muttering short curses to herself, she knew she had no one to blame but herself when she hit the damn snooze button.

 _I swear I'm going to petition the factories to stop creating alarm clocks with snooze buttons someday._

Chuckling lightly to herself at how ridiculous her thoughts were, she concentrated on maneuvering her way into Tokyo's early morning traffic, praying that it would be light today and will give her enough time to speed by her friend's kimono shop.

Which also reminded her that she had to check if Kana-chan's ready yet.

She pulled to a stop and grabbed her purse beside her, honking loudly at a blue sedan which attempted to cut into her lane. Glaring at the driver who looked pissed off at her, she honked once more before he got the idea and proceeded to grudgingly wait for another opportunity to slip in, making her smirk triumphantly.

"You're ten years too early to try your tricks on me." She said aloud, wishing with more than a touch of irritation that he could hear her.

She had just pulled her phone out when it buzzed, indicating a call from none other than her best girlfriend. Hurriedly picking out her earphones, she inserted it to the earphone hole and took the call.

"Morning, Kana-chan! I was just about to call you! Are you ready yet? Sorry, I really woke up late!" She said all this in one breath, before she heard a sort of apologetic laugh from the other end of the line.

" _Morning too Chihaya-chan. And no, you don't have to panic. I'm really sorry, but I'm calling you because I can't come with you today to meet Buchou at the airport."_

Chihaya stepped on the gas as the cars in front of her moved, doing her best to keep her mouth from falling open. "What? Why? Did something happen?" She asked worriedly, trying her best to concentrate both at her driving and her friend.

" _Okaasan cannot come over today to watch the shop for me, she said she's feeling under the weather. You know how the elderly are nowadays. I'm really sorry about this, Chihaya-chan."_

She bit her lip, not being able to help herself from worrying for her friend's mother as well. Oe-san had been nothing but kind to their circle of friends, most of the time acting like a second mother to them, be it during a tournament or certain occasions, like birthdays, engagements, or even weddings. "Is she okay? She hasn't contracted flu or anything I hope?" She slipped into the lane which led to the airport, resisting the urge to start biting her nails whenever she was stressed out.

" _No, I don't think so, thank God. She just said she doesn't feel steady on her feet. Maybe it's just a flash of dizziness or something."_ Kana-chan's voice confirmed through the earpiece.

Chihaya found herself breathing out a quick sigh of relief. "I hope it's nothing serious. Oh anyway, I hope she gets well soon. Pass that on to her for me, will you?"

" _Sure! Sorry about this again, Chihaya-chan. I really didn't mean to leave you alone for picking up Buchou… please give him my apologies."_ Deep remorse echoed from Kana-chan from the other end.

She hurried to assure her friend. "It's fine Kana-chan! Don't worry. I can do it myself. And Taichi's never one to be upset with just that you know. You know how kind that guy is. What's important is that Obaachan gets well okay?"

" _Yes, of course. Thanks, Chi-chan."_ A slight pause followed. _"So what, you're really going alone? What about Wataya-san? Has he even reacted at the news that his best friend is already coming home?"_ She could feel slight annoyance filtering from her best friend's end of line.

Chihaya stepped once more on the gas when the traffic light flashed green and she finally entered the lane which will lead to Tokyo Narita Airport's quadrangle. "Umm… of course he's happy that Taichi's coming home. It's just that you know how busy he is with his work and stuff and him being on the other end of the country…"

She could almost see Kana-chan making a face on the other end. _"I see. So he really chose to do that huh…"_

Chihaya looked down to her lap, knowing Kana-chan must be holding herself back from saying something which might as well upset her even more, given the current status of her relationship with the man.

"You know how he is." She muttered weakly, snapping back into attention when the cars in front of her moved once more.

A sigh resounded from her best friend. _"Yes, I do understand how he is. That doesn't mean I have to- Oh good morning sir!"_ Her voice ended in something like a squeak.

She thanked the heavens silently for the welcome interruption, sparing her the girl's lecture with what her boyfriend is currently doing and _not_ doing to her. "I guess I have to go now, Kana-chan."

" _Yep, I already have a guest, and Tsutomu will be coming over later to help me here. Give our regards to Buchou please? We'll see him at his welcome home party instead. Thanks, love you Chi-chan! Take care!"_

In spite of her discomfort, she managed a smile. "Sure thing. See you around, Kana-chan! Say hi to Tsukue-kun for me."

Her best friend laughed. _"Oh stop calling him that, Chi-chan. He's already outgrown that nickname."_

Chihaya couldn't help but chuckle. "He's still Tsukue-kun for me. Anyway I'll have to go. Love you Kana-chan!"

And with that, they both hang up.

Chihaya stared out into the traffic in front of her, finally succumbing to her mind begging her to think. She stretched her legs below her, taking care not to suddenly put too much stress on her muscles for fear of sudden cramps and spasms.

She honestly couldn't blame Kana-chan for sounding pissed off earlier. This is not the first time, after all, that Arata had blown her off – had blown _them_ off. Her beau had been doing so well for himself, - too well, in fact, that he couldn't seem to notice how much it was already starting to put a toll on their relationship, a fact which was pointed out to her more than she needed to, by so many of her friends, be it from the high school circle or work colleagues.

It was five years ago when she and Wataya Arata had started going out. It was a kind of a relationship which had progressed naturally from their being together for so long, they had been friends since childhood, and many had been unsurprised by the changes their relationship had wrought over time. It was, after all, one thing which could be expected from people whose love had been tested by distance and time – he was originally from Fukui, having only spent a portion of his childhood in the city to which he had to go back from after finishing his elementary years, and she lived in Tokyo, which meant that they couldn't exactly see each other every day after those wonderful childhood years. Despite of everything that had happened then, - Arata's falling out from karuta, their squabble when she and Taichi had gone to Fukui to find out why he even did so – he was the one who had taught her karuta, who had loved the sport more than anything else and which was why it had been unthinkable that he had given up the game – the tournaments which they had both taken part of and which only served as a healing balm to long distance friendships, - finally, he had decided to move to Tokyo to able to attend one of the universities there and secure a brighter future for himself.

And he had managed to get in not only a normal university, but with Todai itself – one of the many universities in the world known for doling out sophisticated education.

It was then that everything between them had changed, as if the cogs of their relationship had turned and signaled everything to move forward. What she had dismissed as simple longing for a friend who she cannot see every day could no longer be ignored, and the slight obvious tension between them – slight, but still obvious enough to people who knew them well enough to be able to see it, like Taichi and Kana-chan for instance – had nothing to do with two people who saw each other as nothing more than friends. They had grown into adults, which meant that they couldn't continue acting like the children they once were.

It had taken a small get-together and drinks, as well as a rap on the head from Taichi for Arata to be able to tell her how he really felt, and she had accepted his confession without hesitation at all, ending in her spilling her feelings for him without any second thought. The memory of how she had blurted out everything to him as well had her still smiling, though the smile it brought on her face right now was something that had been mixed in bitterness more often than she would like lately.

She had to be honest, their relationship felt like glass to her now, balanced precariously and delicate in every way. She knew why that was, and what had caused the change. Love is something that two people will have to work hard for, though she had to admit, it wasn't everything in this world they lived in – a fact she would have liked to not realize because she knew she couldn't ignore it once she did. Though love could get people through the worst of times, it had to take _more_ than one person to keep it going.

And lately, she felt more often alone than she was supposed to.

Chihaya had nothing against what Arata had accomplished for himself, and there was no question that she was proud of him and what he had done for himself in the long run. He had made a name for himself the moment he had beaten and finally taken over Suo Hisashi as the karuta Meijin, and had accomplished a great deal one after another. He became an assistant head to his karuta society, and was, on top of that, juggling his career as an aspiring architect. He had slowly risen from the bottom and is now a head architect connected with Fujisaka Industries – a powerhouse corporation known for reconstructing and remodeling the Kyoto palace and other famous landmarks in Japan. He was entrusted with more projects, and the glasses-wearing man had been too happy to oblige to the point that most of the time he had to go to one place or another in order to head a project – without even telling her.

Her expression soured as she recalled the latest venture he had decided to take. Fujisaki Akira, head of Fujisaki Industries and Arata's boss, had decided to offer to send him to the US for a special training to learn more about techniques and special works he could use as an inspiration for their projects. It was all free with all the usual frills and fuss when a huge company sends you for the so-called training, - seminars, free hotel accommodations, events and corporate functions. It was slated to take around six months, and he was chosen due to his good records, and without any second thought, he _had_ accepted.

Without even mentioning it to her.

She was loathe to recall the argument they've had over the phone when he finally told her that he was to take his flight from Osaka this coming week, since he was going to be based there before the blasted six-month training. She had told him that she was not angry over his wanting to do something for himself, though she could appreciate it even once if he had told her what he was planning to do and even cared enough to ask her opinion regarding it.

 _I've accepted it since it's an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I wasn't expecting it either hon. But they chose me, and I have no qualms whatsoever in taking it. If it's for our future, I don't care if they send me to Venus or something. I had hoped you would understand that, that's why I took it without question._

Again with the future talk. She had gritted her teeth and clenched her hands so tightly that her nails pressed into her flesh in an effort to hold back a few scathing words she would have said right there and then, if her conscience hadn't taken over and prodded her in doing so.

She couldn't even see him off properly to the airport, since his flight was on a weekday and she would be at school, teaching, not to mention, the fact that the two of them were miles apart. He had told her he was okay with it, telling her honestly that if he saw her, he might not be able to leave at all.

 _So seeing me is a bad thing for your career?_

Again, she had bit back a scathing remark. The last thing she wanted was to make him think that she would hold him back from whatever he wanted to do, and she didn't want that. She cared enough about him to give him his space, even if it was making their relationship pay the price.

He had changed. She had often found herself wishing that he had remained the earnest, if serious guy he was during their early twenties together, when he was just paving his path to his dreams.

Chihaya had been avoiding thinking about it, but it was as if he had forgotten that she had feelings and that she needed him, even for just a few hours. She was his girlfriend after all. She still deserved time and attention, didn't she?

She was brought back rather unpleasantly from her musings when a loud honk came behind her, making her start. She grasped at her concentration once more to avoid stepping on the gas accidentally and cause a minor collision – especially that she couldn't afford it, knowing that her best guy friend is arriving today and she was late – his plane schedule indicated that he would be arriving around ten-thirty, and she wouldn't want to waste any more of the precious minutes with a police officer and perhaps a very angry driver for not being careful with her driving and for being easily distracted with errant thoughts.

Chihaya moved up ahead, finally entering Narita Airport's quadrangle. A quick glance at her car clock told her she had little more than thirty minutes left before he arrives, and despite of the apprehension she was feeling because of being almost late, the giddiness and excitement she had been feeling earlier this morning had returned in full force, and the happy flushes in her cheeks gave it away. She didn't realize how much she missed him, when he had decided to spend three years in London with his family before deciding to return to Japan to pursue his goal and continue his job that his family hadn't wanted him to end up with at all.

She hurriedly circled the parking lot to find a parking space, and thanked her lucky stars that she immediately found one. It was perfect – she couldn't help but think that maybe the heavens decided to take pity on her, since it was under a sakura tree – which she needed for the car, not wanting to use it when the seats would be boiling hot.

After settling everything, she turned the engine off, grabbed her purse, her keys and climbed out. As soon as she did, she took a deep breath of the warm, if not hot, morning air, savoring the beauty of the sakura tree she was standing under, then turned quickly and broke into a sprint to the inside of the airport, heart pounding in her chest, eyes wide in anticipation.

She was glad he could finally return home after three years, and was beyond happy that she would be seeing him again in a few more minutes.

When she did see him again, she was going to give him one big hug, assuming that he wouldn't be mad at her for being late.

* * *

He stared out into the window as the plane slowly made it's descent to the airport. He could see the runway, along with the huge white, immaculate building which he knew was the airport itself. He was quite lucky that he had gotten the window seat, for it gave him a view of his home country up in the air and savor the remaining minutes he had before the plane touched down.

 _Nippon. Jeez, did I miss the sakuras._

Running a hand through his mocha-brown hair, he settled back into his seat as the pilot announced their descent, first in Japanese, then in English. Standing up to get his bags from the overhead compartment, he then sat down smoothly once he had secured each of his possessions on both of his hands.

He was more relieved to be finally going home after spending three years with his family, trying to convince and to appease them that he could take care of himself in Japan. London had been a nice place, he had even come to think of it as his second home, but there was a difference between the country you were born in, and the country you had come to know only years ago. As any fellow human being would agree to, he knew that returning to his roots was what he needed to do, which was just as natural as breathing in and out.

Palm resting on his cheek, he sighed to himself, recalling the reason why he had to leave for London in the first place, and why he had to spend there three years more than what he had originally bargained for.

He was born to the wealthy Mashima family, the firstborn son of the eldest scion in a family of distinguished doctors. His grandfather was a reputable heart surgeon, and his father a rather famous psychologist. Being the eldest Mashima of his generation including all his other cousins (which were quite few to begin with,) he was of course, expected to follow in both of his grandfather's and father's footsteps, especially when he was also being expected to step up as the next head of the family. And while he had actually started on the path of becoming possibly the first neurologist in the proud clan, meeting his friends had altered quite a lot of his decisions, particularly one girl who he had spent most of his life with.

Karuta had started plainly as a habit. He had been intrigued by the one hundred cards since he had been a kid, and had made flashcards in order to memorize them when his teacher in his elementary school had asked them to recite it in class. He hadn't realized that he has quite the passion for it until Wataya Arata had arrived – or more like _barged_ in their lives, particularly in Chihaya's way back then. He and Chihaya had built up competition with all those childhood years they've spent together, always making everything a point of contention, - even their heights. But with Arata's arrival, everything had been turned upside-down, to say so in the least. That here was a kid who could easily beat him in karuta had shocked him to the core so hard it had led him to do one of the biggest things he had always regretted in his life.

He and Arata had been slated to face each other in a karuta match, and not wanting to lose to him, (even as a kid, he had a lot of pride, something which had been ingrained to him by his mother,) had ended up with him stealing Arata's glasses.

Yes, taking them had been a really lame, bad, bad, _bad_ idea. But he wasn't thinking, and he was but a friggin' kid who thought that he could lose Chihaya to him in the blink of an eye once he lost the game at the time. And he sure as hell felt that his instincts had been spot on now, even when he had been too young to understand it then.

Sighing to himself, he gazed out the window frustratedly once more. They were approaching solid ground now, and he gritted his teeth to prepare for the landing which he knew will rattle every bone in his body.

He had sworn to himself to stop thinking that way, but he couldn't deny the feeling that he had lost something, some _one_ as precious to him as the air he breathes to an another man, a glasses-wearing, karuta God-incarnate man, - at least, it had felt that way to him - and the depressing feeling that he could no longer stay with her even as he wished to. It was over, he had instigated their relationship in the first place, and he _refused_ to cry over it. It was just too pathetic for him to do so, and Mashima Taichi was done being pathetic.

As painful as the decision was to let her go, - it was, after all, clear to him and everyone else that she belonged with the Meijin, _with_ Arata – he also knew that he couldn't stay depressed forever. Thankful that he wasn't one to focus on one thing, it had given him the excuse to let karuta go and move on with his life, much to their friends' – and his family's – surprise, who had never understood his passion for the sport in the first place, and had always admonished him for choosing to be a part of a club which could be very well disbanded. Of course, he also had to disappoint Chihaya, which, as much as he hated having to do so at the time, had also cemented his decision that everything would be better for him if he could start with a clean slate. Knowing he had hurt Chihaya's feelings, who had always turned to him as the dependable, trusty best friend and sort of like the older brother he had unconsciously created for himself, - a far cry from the barely perceivable difference in their ages, - there also came a time that they had drifted apart from each other.

It was something which he knew came as a direct consequence from his decisions, though he had not regretted it, not even once. It was during this time that the epiphany came to him that he wanted to stand apart from his grandfather and father's shadows.

He had dutifully enrolled for medicine once he had entered college, acing the tests he had in Todai and entering the Faculty of Medicine as the top scorer of the entrance examinations, - but along with giving karuta up, he had realized that he didn't want to live his life with expectations from anyone, not from his friends, not from his family. It was his damn life, so he might as well start making decisions that were based solely on how he wanted to see it through. Meeting his friends, growing up with Chihaya who had always lived her life to the fullest, had led him to decide that he wanted to be able to live with no regrets, and he could only do that if he allowed himself to think of his own welfare for once. This epiphany, along with his dropping out on his second year of medicine, and entering a special training academy for aspiring civil servants had raised inevitable repercussions he knew would happen but had chosen to face instead of running away like the coward he once was.

He had found another way of being able to help other people, as he had once dreamed of as a child, but not in the path his family had originally wanted for him. This had caused a rift between him and the Mashimas, who valued their chosen occupation along with the family pride. This had also led to him collapsing from the combined frustration and stress, as the results of the medical tests had dictated at the time. Ironically, this was what had finally healed the rift between him and Chihaya, who had rushed at the time to the Tokyo University Hospital with Arata, and had, in tears, apologized over and over about not trying to understand his decisions and for adding to his frustrations. He had told her that no, she wasn't a frustration, but Chihaya was stubborn into thinking that she owed him at least his peace of mind, and had insisted on staying with him until he finally forgave her, even though he knew there was nothing to forgive her for.

After recovering, he had received word from the current head of the family that they wanted to talk. And talk with them he did.

He grimaced at the memory of having to talk with his father… and having to face the stern admonishments he had received at the time. He had swallowed all the criticism, all the anger and the sharp reminder that he was to be the next head, and that they were expecting great things from him, but he had stood his ground. Kana-chan had always described him as someone who was selfless to the point that he was willing to go as far as to help others first without even thinking of himself, and he had decided that it was time to put himself first, even if that meant turning the Mashimas against him.

He had already given karuta up. He was not going to give up his dream just to please them too.

In the end, his father had given up. He had informed him that the family will be migrating to London as part of the better career his father would have there, and he would agree to his taking a different path if he would spend an entire year there. He knew that his father was planning to dissuade him using London as the bait, to try and force him to see the benefits of living there with a career as a doctor. He hadn't been blind to his father's plan but had still agreed, excited at the prospect of seeing the place the Harry Potter series had been born and in being in another country, making the decision to stay with them for a year, even when it meant leaving his friends, his job and Chihaya behind.

He had enjoyed staying there, though he hadn't been swayed once by his father. All throughout the ordeal his mother had stayed silent, which was not something he had expected from her seeing as she was the one who had discouraged him from karuta in the first place. He had taken pity on Rika, his younger sister, who was starting to be pressured by the family name that he had decided to stay longer in order to keep an eye on her. During this time he had continued with taking training classes on martial arts, wanting to keep himself in shape for his return to Japan and to continue on his chosen profession.

Breaking out of his musings, he decided to pull out his wallet and open it, smiling to himself once he saw the last picture he had taken with his colleagues years ago. They were all impeccably dressed in their uniforms in the photo, though they were all rowdy and messing around, hats missing and huge smiles and grins on their faces, - he was even holding a huge tub of beer in one hand. He missed the idiots, who had loved teasing him with his eyelashes and good looks.

 _You don't belong here man! You belong on the page of a magazine! Those fashion ones you know? You'd make a hell of a lot better income with being a model!_

He had simply made a rude gesture to them at the time, which met full, hearty laughter as a response.

The photo slipped from his hand and he fumbled with it. Another photo came out, which he immediately caught on his other hand.

It was a photo of him and Chihaya, taken under a sakura tree. They were both in coats with scarves wrapped around their necks, and he recalled taking her out to watch a basketball game between Todai and Meiji Universities, the last game they had been into before he had left for London. Chihaya was clutching at his arm smiling happily with her hand out flashing a peace sign, with him grinning simply beside her. Arata had been unable to come with them at the time as he was based in Kyushu then, and in an effort to cheer Chihaya up before he left her alone, he had decided to treat her out for a game.

The apprehension settled in his nerves. In a few minutes, he would be seeing her again. Though he had refused at first at having her pick him up from the airport, she had point-black refused as well his suggestion to just wait to see him at his welcome home party (courtesy of Kana-chan) since he could go home by himself.

 _No! You did not even let me see you off properly when you left! This is the least you can let me do you know!_

He had sighed and given in then, knowing it was a useless battle. Though he was having second thoughts of seeing her, knowing how much he had to prepare himself for the agonizing burn of the hole she had left open in his chest, he still missed her. A lot. Of course, he had missed Arata as well, despite of Chihaya's noticeable avoidance of answering his innocent queries of how they were both doing the past few months whenever they talked to each other through skype.

He knew something was off between his two best friends, but he knew better than to push Chihaya into telling him. He hoped, for their sake and his, that everything was… still alright. It was not his place to intervene after all, they were all adults, and he knew they could fix whatever was happening between them themselves.

 _At least, I hope they would._

Just then, the wheels finally reached the runway with a jaw-rattling _thump_ , and he had to brace himself for the impact it had caused. The rough landing was one that he had expected, and though he didn't like it, he couldn't deny the joy he felt for finally being back. Once the plane had finally settled, he and the other passengers prepared to disembark.

As soon as he made it out of the plane and had stepped down the stairwell, he inhaled deeply. Ah. Japan's air. It had been too long since he had breathed it in.

Really too long.

"Welcome home to me."

* * *

Chihaya was breathing hard in and out, hands clutching at her chest, unable to believe that she had made it just in time with ten minutes to spare. She could see Taichi's plane schedule at ten-thirty, and the time it had landed on the terminal. Straightening up to her full height, which was at 5'8, she fixed herself and her clothes, not wanting to look disheveled.

 _This is ridiculous. I'm just meeting Taichi. Since when did I start caring about how I look like in front of him?_

With an unpleasant jolt back to reality, the arrivals section started filling with families of the arrivals themselves as the passengers entered. Happy 'Tadaimas' and 'Okaeris' filled the air, and she smiled fondly at a family of three which had gathered on her left, the father bending down to kiss a little girl on her cheek, then straightening up to bestow possibly a second kiss to a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties on his side.

 _Hmmm… that's nice. I wonder… what it would feel like to have a family of my own?_

"You said you're here to pick me up, but you look more like you want to be in that woman's place instead. Makes me think you've already forgotten me." A baritone voice said teasingly behind her, and she wheeled around in surprise, fingers flying to her mouth.

There he was, standing casually behind her, a backpack slung carelessly over his shoulder, clutching two more bags in his hands. A smirk curved his lips, amusement awash in those amber eyes of his.

 _Oh Gods._ He was still the same as she remembered, though of course, there were subtle differences that were not visible to others except to those he were close with. Head full of mocha-brown hair which had grown longer now for him to be able to brush it up, skin more tanned than the last time he had been in Japan, and he was taller. She had always managed to reach the tip of his nose, but now it looked as if she could only reach the tip of his chin – she estimated him to be well over six feet now, as opposed to the five foot-eleven inches his height had been before.

Her gaze strayed down to his upper body - his shoulders were broader than she remembered, the muscles on his arms more noticeable through the simple navy-blue collared shirt he wore as well. No doubt about it, he had filled out in the three years he had been in London, as evidenced by the rock hard jaw line and the cheekbones which were higher than she could perfectly recall – his face had turned sharper, filling out to its manly potential.

"What, Chihaya? You just gonna stand there and ignore me or I'll at least get a 'welcome home' hug from you? And here I thought you were so excited to see me back."

That did the trick. Chihaya broke from the trance-like state she was in, and ignoring the reactions and stares they might get from everyone, she launched herself straight into him, making him drop his backpack and bags as she threw herself into his arms with all the force she could muster.

"Ooff! Geez, Chihaya! I expected a hug, not an attack! Are you trying to break my ribs?" He laughed, as the chestnut-haired girl he held in his arms started shaking and trembling.

"Taichi! Oh I've missed you so much you idiot! How have you been?" She cried, tears running in rivulets down her chin as she looked up to him with those large, auburn eyes he had tried so hard to forget when she and Arata first became a couple but failed to do so anyways.

"I've just been great, considering the fact that London doesn't have any women like you who could break a guy's ribs-ow!" He was cut off with a sharp gasp and breathless laugh when she punched him on his left side. "You haven't changed, Ayase – you're as brutal as ever!"

"How dare you tease me like that after we haven't seen each other in three years!" She exclaimed indignantly, his laughter subsiding to a frown as he realized she wasn't _actually_ joking, wiping her tears with the back of her hand as he danced out of her reach when she attempted to punch him again, only to have him pull her back into an embrace to prevent her from punching him on the face this time.

"We did see each other using Skype, you know." He breathed into her hair, which filled his nostrils with the scent of strawberries.

"Not in person! That's different!" She protested, though her voice sounded muffled with her face pressed so deeply into his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist, sobering down. "Taichi no baka. Teasing me like that when all I could think about was you finally coming home today during the last week."

"I'm sorry." He apologized quietly. "You're not usually this sensitive to my teasing, that's why I have no qualms whatsoever in doing so. That's my own brand of telling you that I've missed you too, you know. Or have you forgotten how I loved teasing you?" He murmured into her hair, albeit more worriedly as opposed to earlier.

"Maybe. I don't know. But apology accepted." She muttered in response, sighing into his chest.

His brows furrowed. Chihaya isn't usually like this. She took every one of his jokes uncaringly and would retaliate with her own brand of insults which would result to them bickering, but that's it. They had grown up with each other long enough to know the other so well to the point that they knew how to push each other's buttons. For Chihaya to be actually irritated with him… it was something that only happens so rarely, when she was under stress, or about to succumb to the pressures of everyday life and the timing of his jokes had coincided with it.

Right now, he didn't like the odds. That she came here alone, all by herself isn't a good sign. Where the hell was Arata? He hadn't been hearing from him for the last few months. He knew how Chihaya's beau had grown workaholic, but the recent months had been different. It was like he just literally disappeared from the face of the earth.

 _What is he doing to you, Chihaya?_

"Where's…" he asked, trailing off, as Chihaya looked up to him, meeting his inquisitive amber eyes. With an unpleasant jolt, despite of how beautiful and otherworldly she looked to him, as she always did, he saw, for the first time since he arrived, the bags under her eyes, and the wary glint in those auburn orbs. It was like she was so tired, but still had the energy to be cheerful enough with him coming home. No wonder she had snapped at him like that. She _is_ under stress, no doubt, but she was still happy to see him, and had taken the time to meet him. His tendency to joke had failed to make her think that he appreciated seeing her again.

 _Dammit. Since when have I been so insensitive?_

He then realized that she was waiting for the rest of his sentence, as evidenced by her brows beginning to furrow as well. "Where's Kana-chan? You told me she's coming with you right?" He changed the name he was about to ask for at the last minute. There was something with the way Chihaya held herself which told him that asking about Arata would upset the balance she seemed to be holding over her own emotions.

 _What the hell is going on with you, sweetheart?_

She reluctantly released her hold on him as she responded, "Her mom's sick, and she called to ask me to apologize to you on her behalf."

Taichi stared at her. "Hey, it's alright. I won't get mad for her not being able to be here."

Chihaya had stepped forward, bending down to pick up one of his bags, in a manner telling him that they should get a move on. "That's what I told her. She says she'll be seeing you at your welcome home party instead with Tsukue-kun and the others." She then turned to smile at him mischievously. "Which, I can guarantee you'll not be able to get out off."

"I wasn't planning to." He said with a defeated sigh, pausing to grab the heavier bag from her and handing her his backpack instead when she attempted to protest. "It's not like you'll allow me to escape anyway."

Chihaya turned her head to bestow him a sweet smile, one which he noticed, was genuine in it's appearance. "Good. Just making sure, you know."

As she trudged ahead of him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. He knew that he had no right to meddle with whatever was going on with her, but he still couldn't help but worry. That Chihaya was forcing herself to clamp down whatever it was that was bothering her and concentrate on being cheerful for his sake sounded like warning bells were ringing in his head. _Something's wrong. Something's wrong with her dammit._

"Oh, Taichi?" She stopped a few feet away from him, pirouetting gracefully on her heels to face him once more that his breath momentarily caught as her hair flew into a complete circle behind her as she did so.

"Yeah?" He asked, sounding wary as well that he had to smack himself mentally for doing so.

She skipped forward and rose on her tiptoes, filling his nostrils once more with her tantalizing scent before she pecked his cheek – no, the corner of his mouth to be correct – grinning all the while as she did. "Even though you were mean earlier, I'm glad you're home. Okaeri."

He stared at her, trying to read through her eyes whatever was bothering her. He'd developed that ability because of her, and he had always been dead right when it came to finding out what her problems are.

 _No. I don't think it's right to do that now._

For her sake, he had to step back and keep his mouth shut in the meantime. She was happy to see him, and he had no wish to dampen that glow in her eyes, which had been so long since he had last seen it. He would find out sooner than later what it is, and for now, he would have to concentrate on keeping that good cheer and smile on her face.

He took hold of her face and gently wiped the remaining traces of tears on her cheeks, allowing a smile to stretch his lips.

"Tadaima."

Yes he was home… finally. With her. And in the meantime, that should all that would matter now.

* * *

 _ **Author's note: Okay, so I know what you're thinking. This is quite similar to my other fic, particularly the Red Threads of Destiny's first chapter (all those who have read it will realize the similarities despite of the differences). I seemed to use 'Reunion' as my central theme for all my fics, and I hope it doesn't irritate you. And yes, this is the first time I'm trying myself out if could write a story with an action genre. I hope I nailed it quite well.**_

 _ **I will try my best to update, however, it will be irregular. As much as I wanted to do it regularly, I only have limited time at my disposal. I hope you will stay with me even when this will undoubtedly happen.**_

 _ **Of course, everyone will be free to leave reviews. Constructive criticism will be most welcome. I'll be looking forward to your reactions.**_

 _ **I missed you guys! I look forward to seeing you in the next chapters!**_

 _ **Love,**_

 _ **Michiko :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Right, so… I'm finally back.**_

 _ **Yes, it's been two months when I last updated, and I'm truly sorry for that. I have been so incredibly busy the past months that I couldn't even sit down and dedicate at least three hours for this. On top of that I am experiencing writer's block, which makes me worry if I can finish this story.**_

 _ **I was lucky to have had a long weekend the last week, so I managed to continue writing. Hopefully, your wait is well worth it.**_

 _ **So without further ado, I present to you the second chapter. I hope you'll enjoy.**_

* * *

 **II**

* * *

" _Anyone listening? Wolf here."_

" _Leopard reading you loud and clear. What is it?"_

" _Black Ferrari pulling up at ten o'clock. Snake spotted getting off and is entering the building as we speak. Should I go in?"_

" _What the hell? It's too ahead of schedule. Stay where you are, we don't know what's happening yet. I'm checking with Phoenix."_

" _Hurry it up. I'm sweating buckets here."_ He bit his tongue as he suppressed an additional retort. He didn't want to sound complaining, though he sure as hell isn't comfortable with what he was wearing right now.

" _Got anything?"_

" _None yet._ _Quit rushin' will ya? You're awfully jumpy tonight."_

" _Look, Leopard, I don't want to sound like a freaking girl, but in case you've forgotten, I'm in a freaking suit. It's getting hotter here, you know."_

" _I know, dammit! But in case_ you've _forgotten as well, we're in the middle of a fuckin' mission and I can't let you go in there without knowing at least what we're up against."_

He sighed into his molar mic. _"It's_ the _giants we're up against. Did you really expect everything to go with the schedule?"_

" _I didn't, but this is way too off schedule. There's gotta be something wrong – "_

" _Heya boys!"_ A female voice joined the men's conversation, sounding chirpy and light despite of the situation. _"We're pulling out. Pack up!"_

Stunned silence met her declaration.

" _What? What the hell – "_

" _What's going on Pegasus?"_ He asked, a bead of sweat rolling down his brow. He wiped it off with his wrist, feeling irritated beyond belief that he couldn't use his suit's sleeve, not wanting to ruin it despite wanting nothing more than to get out of the restricting garment.

The female voice sighed. _"In case you've both gone temporarily deaf, I'm telling_ you _to pack up. We're pulling out."_

" _But - !"_

" _No buts, Leopard! That's an order from the HQ! And you as well, Wolf, it's disappointing not to see you in action while looking entirely too hot in a suit and tie, but we're going back."_ A sigh resounded from her end of the line. _"Now get your asses moving."_

" _Will you at least tell us why?"_ His partner asked grudgingly. _"I started feeling something bad is about to happen."_

" _And you're right for once, ya know? It's because they're waiting for us! If Wolf has gone in there he'd have been walking into a lion's den!"_

" _The 'for once' line is really unnecessary, but what the hell? That doesn't explain anything –"_

" _Do me a favor Kano and shut up! We have strict orders to get out of here before they – "_ She broke off, and the two men's hearts seemed to have stopped as well, holding on to her hanging words before they heard her breath quicken into rapid staccato. _"Get out of there Mashima Kanshikan_ ***** _! NOW!"_

But before he could move a muscle, a bullet whizzed past him and everything went blurry.

* * *

"Taichi? Taichi? Are you okay?"

He opened his eyes with a start, hand flailing out and stopping just short of almost gripping Chihaya's shoulder in surprise before catching himself. She was staring at him worriedly, lifting a hand to fix the swath of hair that had fallen over his eyes as he fought to regain control of his breathing and mental faculties which were currently wiry and all out of control.

"Chihaya…" He murmured confusedly in response as he glanced up at her, sounding dazed – which he is, at the moment.

 _Calm down, dammit. Where am I? In Chihaya's car, and you had just returned from London. Breathe, Mashima. Breathe._ His breath came into short gasps as he concentrated to bring himself back to normal, closing his eyes once more to concentrate harder.

Chihaya watched him half-curiously, half-worriedly. Somewhere between talking about some of Japan's sports concerns and her karuta team he had suddenly gone quiet. Glancing over at him, she saw that his eyes had closed, the thick eyelashes Harada-sensei had always teased him about kissing his cheeks. She didn't actually know if he had fallen asleep or something, but she decided to stay quiet, seeing how irresistible it is to observe him without him being aware.

When he had his eyes closed, it was as if he was a different guy – a carefree and normal guy who had an exhausting day and had fallen asleep with her in her car as she took the initiative to take him home. The worry lines that had somehow found their way into her best friend's face disappeared, smoothing everything over and giving him a more youthful, livelier look, as opposed to how mature he looked than his original age with it. She basked in the relaxed atmosphere in her car – the one thing she had always managed to lack nowadays. It was a huge irony that she would find this with someone who has just gone home and was never one to just sit down and relax, but Taichi had always seemed to be the one who knew how to calm her down even without him doing anything else.

His presence had always been more than enough.

She leaned over once more as she got out a handkerchief from her bag and wiped off traces of sweat which had clung on his right temple, and surprisingly he let her, turning his head the other way so that she could also let the handkerchief sweep past his other temple. Thrilled, as he hadn't always let her care for him even with such simple actions as this one, she obliged the simple, wordless request.

"Thanks." He murmured softly, finally catching her hand and squeezing it gently before taking the handkerchief from her and continuing her ministrations himself, rubbing the small square of cloth past his neck.

She straightened back in her seat, stepping on the gas when the light finally flashed green, and she entered the apartment quadrangle where he lived in. "Are you okay?" She asked once more.

He let out a huge sigh, "Yep. Just dozed off a little back there." He muttered in nothing short of a whisper, but her years of karuta training combined with her natural talent of sharp hearing still enabled her to catch it. "Kind of a good thing I guess, since I won't be able to get much sleep later once the jetlag kicks in." He added, turning his gaze outside the window.

Chihaya turned her gaze forward, trapping her bottom lip with her teeth. It seemed that he was having a dream earlier – or a nightmare – but as much as she was curious, she was hesitant with asking about it. She didn't want to spoil his mood, not when he had just come home.

Taichi snickered to himself as she finally parked the car in the apartment's garage. "So my apartment is still standing huh. Congratulations – you didn't burn it down." He teased good-naturedly, as his best girlfriend bent down to turn the car's engine off, and she shot up straight to glare at him when she heard his jibe.

"S-Shut up!" She exclaimed indignantly, as his snickers turned into laughter. "Excuse _me,_ I took care of your apartment quite well, you know!" She added, heat rushing to her cheeks in a blush.

He let out one last puff of laughter before deciding to finally concede, his worry for her behavior earlier settling in once more. He had given her his key to his pad before he left, deciding to let her use it once in a while so as not to leave the whole place empty for a long time. _Don't set the place on fire,_ he remembered joking, and her sticking out her tongue at him in a gesture of protest.

He let his eyes settle on her, noting the way her eyes were narrowed seconds before at him, her cupid's bow of lips pushed out into a pout. He sighed once more and decided to reach over, unbuckling her and letting the straps slide back into their place, his fingers accidentally brushing against her hip.

He was about to straighten up when he heard her sharp intake of breath. He looked up to her, and instantly froze.

Chihaya's face was a mere millimeter away from his, providing him a complete view of her opened mouth. Her lips, always so naturally pink, were made even more tempting with a soft shine of her lip gloss, and he couldn't help his eyes from following the defined contours of her lips from her upper to her lower one.

 _Look away,_ he commanded his eyes, even though he knew he couldn't, and deep down, he admitted he didn't even want to.

 _We're trying._ His eyes sent the message back to his brain. _It's you who's failing to do your job._

As if to tempt him even further, Chihaya's tongue poked out to wet her lips, a gesture he knew she does when she was completely nervous and flustered. His eyes followed the little muscle's movements as it traced her upper then her lower lip, and he couldn't stop his body from reacting, a fresh surge of blood sent down to places he'd rather not think about now – it felt as if he just had himself electrocuted.

 _Look. Away. You idiot!_

As he regained control of his senses before he gave in to the sudden, wild desire to push her against the car door and kiss her senseless and just have his way with her, he tore his eyes away from her, stamping down the protest forming at the back of his mind. "Do we have everything settled? Come on, I'm starving." He spoke, forcing a smile, choosing to ignore the slightly tense atmosphere which had formed in her car.

As if on cue, Chihaya broke from the trance she was in and cast around wildly for something to respond with. "Y-Yes, I think so! Come on, I'm also quite starving." She gave a nervous laugh before hastily climbing out of the car and getting out a few of his bags.

Taichi sighed to himself as she gathered his things out. If he was going to be like this just a few minutes after he was back with her, then it was going to be hell just keeping his hands from wandering into places it shouldn't even wander in and would take a bucket of his self-control he always prided himself from doing something he was never allowed to do.

This is going to be one, long, bitchy day.

* * *

The minutes ticked by relentlessly, the hands on the clock moving almost in a back-and-forth, back-and-forth motion. He threw glances on it every now and then, fingers tapping on his expensive mahogany desk, pen twirling expertly around his fingers as he tried to concentrate on his work to no avail. The thrumming of the air-conditioner he always found to be somewhat calming did nothing to alleviate his blank state, eyes still staring blankly in front of him.

How long has it been since he had started staring on the blueprint of the condominium tower he was supposed to check? Seconds? Dammit, of course not. Minutes? Not likely. Hours? Yes, that's correct. He had been staring at it for hours already, willing something to appear or for his mind to come up with an idea.

Unfortunately, he had to admit – he was nothing short of stumped with ideas right now.

For the umpteenth time since he had come to the office, he glanced once more at the picture which stood at his desk. It reflected the chestnut-haired girl he was head-over-heels in love with, limbs frozen in a twirl as she smiled hugely at the camera, her hands behind her, face shadowed beautifully with the large-brimmed hat she wore. Her flesh, flowery summer dress flowed out behind her seeming to be a part of her alabaster skin, bouncing off the sunlight effortlessly.

Of all her magazine photos and perfect shots, this was his favorite. He had once accompanied her to one of her shoots during the early years of their relationship and by chance, they happened to be shooting then in one of the parks in Tokyo where the Sakura trees are in full bloom. She was endorsing a brand of lotion then, and the staff used the background to their advantage since the sunlight bounced off harmlessly against her alabaster skin, making her glow all the more. When this shot had come out, he requested to have a copy personally made for him, and the staff took the request further by removing the photo itself from the collection of shots about to be used for the magazine and made the photo exclusively his.

 _Since we all know how you love her so much, Wataya-san, this will be yours. For your eyes only, if you will._

He took the framed photo in his hands, smiling to himself in memory. He remembered, as his mind can perfectly recall, the adorable blush which had formed in her cheeks when the staff teased her about it and how she was so flustered when he leaned in for a kiss, thanking her as he did.

 _For what?_ She had asked, flustered and nervous.

 _For allowing to me to see such beauty…_ He had responded as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, _And for being in my life._

Such were the good days.

The sapphire eyes behind his rimless glasses glinted wearily, his expression drooping as if weights had been placed on it. His heart ached beyond belief as he recalled the final conversation they had, two days ago – when he had finally told her of his decision to accept the six-month training that this company will be providing for him. He didn't like how their conversation went, much less how it ended.

 _And you haven't seen fit to tell me this when Fujisaki-san had first told you about it?_

 _I was trying to figure it out for myself first before telling you about it, Chihaya._ He had reasoned out, not liking the quiet uncertainty in her voice.

 _Be that as you say, but isn't this too sudden? You've already agreed to it. It means I won't see you for another six months. Do you realize what it means to us, Arata?_

 _It means addin' security to our future together, Chihaya. I'm doin' this for us. For our sake. You understand that right? I know you do, that's why I took it. I told you before, if it's for the sake of our future, I don't care if they send me to Venus or somethin'. I will gladly do it if it's for you._ He explained, momentarily slipping into his adorable Fukui accent which had never failed to lighten Chihaya's mood.

Chihaya's silence from her end of the line hit him with such force then.

Arata resisted the urge to bang his head onto the desk as he recalled the conversation. He was well aware that this was the main reason why he felt so out of it today. Well not just today, but also for the days following their last conversation. He couldn't deny the feeling that he had hurt Chihaya with his decision to accept the six-month training, even when he had already rationalized that it was for her – for them. No matter how much he did, he couldn't shake off the uncertainty in Chihaya's tone as she relented, saying that she could only choose to support him no matter what he did.

Only 'choose' to support him.

Not for the first time since he had made the decision to go with the damn training, he wondered if he was doing the right thing.

Arata knew that there was only one person he could turn to and ask whenever he was unsure of things such as this. But as strange as it is for him, he suddenly could not find the will to pick up his phone and dial the number, much less even chat with him. His behavior towards his only best friend had started a few months ago after the man had told him that he was slated to come home in a few months, telling him that he was excited to come home after three years and that he was looking forward to visit the reconstructed Kyoto palace sometime to see his 'masterpiece'.

He himself could not understand the reasons for his behavior, only that he didn't feel much like talking with the once aspiring doctor-turned-officer. He didn't know why he had a bad feeling regarding the whole thing, though he had admitted to himself that it had something to do with Chihaya.

He just knew that he wasn't ready to face the reasons why.

The raven-haired Meijin turned to glance once more at the clock. It was almost twelve noon. He must have arrived already.

That's right, he remembered Chihaya telling him that she would be picking him up from the airport.

An emotion welled up in his chest that he wasn't that familiar with, a feeling that he had seldom been acquainted with. He didn't like it, as it felt like something was twisting his heart, clogging his throat and making his eyes narrow in annoyance.

Mashima Taichi had been the only person who had made him feel this way. Not to be arrogant, but this was an emotion he had seldom felt.

Ah, he recalled what it is now. Jealousy.

Almost as if on cue, his phone beeped. A single message from the woman who had been claiming his thoughts flashed through the screen, with a photo as an attachment.

 _Taichi's arrived, Arata! Look at his expression when we surprised him!_

Arata opened the picture to see Taichi immediately, laughing and flustered as he saw other familiar faces from Chihaya's former karuta team-turned-circle of friends – Komano is it?- showering him with what looked like the foam from an opened bottle of champagne, confettis from party poppers no doubt all over the place. Chihaya wasn't in the picture as she was obviously the one who took it, but he knew how she would be smiling fondly at the mayhem in front of her.

Something twitched in his chest in response.

Why was it always like this? Why is it that he always had to be the one who was far away, away from his friends, away from Chihaya?

He had been doing this ever since they were teenagers. Why on earth does it feel so differently now? What changed?

His musings were cut off as his intercom beeped. "Wataya-kun. Fujisaki-sama is here asking if he could see you. Are you available to see him?" The voice of his secretary, Aizawa Kaoru, pierced through the air.

His spine straightened up and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His boss was here? What could he possibly want? He pressed the button. "Yes I am. Please tell him to come in, Kaoru-chan."

"Should I send some coffee in for you?" Her tone sounded worried. It wasn't everyday after all, that the head of a multi-national company would decide to come knocking in one of his employee's offices. If that ever happened, usually it was to bite someone's head off or to fire someone on the spot.

"Yes, please. I would like that." He responded, trying to convey his calm through the intercom. He straightened up his tie and suit, suddenly feeling as if the temperature in the room had gone a few degrees higher.

As soon as he said so, the door to his office opened slightly, and a man appeared through the space. "Arata-kun. Good day to you. I hope I did not disturb something?"

He had just replaced the framed photo on the side of his desk and he looked up, standing up in response and smiling warmly at the middle-aged man. "No, of course not, Fujisaki-sama. Please do come in and have a seat."

The man then came in, closing the door as he did. He walked inside then, each stride confident and powerful, almost gliding gracefully to where Arata is. His ash-gray hair glinted in the noon sunlight which was allowed to permeate in the room, holding himself with an air of regality which one could only expect from the head of a powerhouse corporation responsible for remodeling famous Japan landmarks and placing them on the list of top tourist attractions worldwide. Not for the first time, Arata did not wonder as to why the man had become as successful as he is now.

"Arata-kun. I believe I had told you that just Akira-san will do. Fujisaki-sama sounds unbelievably formal and makes me feel twice as old as I already am." The older man somewhat complained as he eased himself down into one of the comfortable plush chairs which made up the office's welcoming area.

The sapphire-eyed architect became flustered with this as he took a seat as well in front of his boss. "I do apologize, A-Akira-san. I just do not feel that much comfortable with being all too familiar with you."

The man waved a hand airily. "You should not be. We have worked together with well over a hundred projects now, I believe that warrants us enough familiarity with each other already, wouldn't you agree?"

Arata nodded. "If that is what you say, Akira-san."

"Good." A delighted smile made it's way across the man's face, for a moment making the lines on his face – proof of his age – seem slimmer and making him look younger than he seemed to be. "I hope you have been relaxing as much as you can, Arata-kun. You seemed much more weighted than before."

Arata gave a small smile in response. "One cannot be too confident in this line of work, Akira-san. Not everything is perfect and balanced after all."

Fujisaki Akira stared at him, seeming as if he was studying the younger man's face to the point that Arata began to feel uncomfortable. The older man then sighed, leaning forward, his expression serious. "It's a good thing I came here then. I was in your floor after all, and I've decided to check how you are faring nowadays, especially since you will be leaving for New York in just a few days. I do not mean to pry, Arata-kun, but are you alright? You seem troubled to me."

As much as he appreciated his boss's concern who always seemed to be a second father figure to him, Arata wasn't exactly the type to divulge relationship problems to other people, even though he needed to tell someone what he and Chihaya had been going through if just to get it off his chest. Akira studied his expression, and he knew that the older man already had an idea of what was actually troubling him.

The man inclined his head toward the photo standing near the edge of his desk, looking at him knowingly. "That reminds me, how is your little lady? The last time I have seen her is in one of the corporate functions we've had just before we left Tokyo for Osaka." He mused, looking at the younger man thoughtfully.

Arata gave a gracious smile in response. "She's well, Akira-san, thank you for asking. She also sends her regards." They both looked up as the door to the office opened, and his secretary Kaoru came in, holding a tray with two cups of coffee.

"I take it you've already told her about your latest accomplishment?" Akira muttered his thanks as he received the coffee placed in front of him. "Has she taken it quite well?"

Arata also gave his thanks, immediately holding the cup carefully in both hands as he thought of the best way to respond to the question without making it seem as if it was the main source of his and Chihaya's last squabble. Well, technically it really is, but no way is he going to make it intentionally sound like that. "She… is quite hesitant at first when I told her I have accepted it. But Chihaya has always been open-minded. She understands that I'm doing it for us and she supports me on this. She's always been gracious to me that way." He carefully responded, knowing that Akira would still catch on to his situation.

"…I see." True to form, Akira did understand. "Well I must say I'm glad that everything seemed to have worked out well between the two of you, Arata-kun, but I would like to give you this advice, if you wouldn't perceive of it as me prying into your personal life."

Arata was cautious, but he was not rude to turn it down. "I would appreciate it, Akira-san. Who knows, it might help me become as successful as you in both business and life." He said earnestly, making the older man chuckle.

"Why, thank you. I would like you to take this as a fatherly advice, not as an advice from your superior, though." The older man paused, letting his words sink in as he sipped from his cup quietly. "Behind every success is a special person who has helped you get there. Take it from a man who was as old as me, it's not wrong to strive for comfort and security in our life, but never forget that success is next to nothing with no one to share it with." He placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder in a fatherly gesture. "Arata-kun, you are the most charming, humble, hard-working person I have ever had the pleasure of working with, and I have no doubt that you will rise to the very top. You are the youngest head architect I have known. Just do not forget that you also have other priorities, and that you should keep them balanced. Already you have made Chihaya-chan worry about you and your relationship. It is not wrong to keep your focus on your work, but whatever happens, you must keep in mind that she is always the top of your priorities. She is what keeps you grounded, keeps you from getting carried away by your job. Never take her love for granted, Arata-kun."

Arata nodded, feeling himself moved to shame by the older man's words. "I understand, Akira-san. I… seemed to have set them wrong the last few weeks." _Or should I say the last few months?_

Akira clucked his tongue. "That is a cause of worry. How long has it been since you've last seen her?"

The younger architect almost sank back to his couch in embarrassment. "Two months… I guess."

"Well then you'll have to make it up to her." The older man straightened up. "I hate to think me and my company has been the primary cause of this. I'll be giving you at least Wednesday morning and Thursday evening as your off days. Will that be fine, Arata-kun?"

Arata looked up in surprise. "No Akira-san, you didn't have to-"

The tycoon held up a hand to silence his protests. "No, Arata-kun. This is something that you'll have to fix. It's the least I can do to help. You can go back to Tokyo Wednesday morning. Woo her as you should. It's a good break for you as well, as I know you've been locking yourself in here for God-knows-how-long now. I do not want to hear your dispute on this matter, Arata-kun. Are we clear?"

Arata had no choice but to chuckle in response. "If you insist, Akira-san, who am I to disagree? But thank you so much. At least I'll get to see her… before I leave."

"So please take your flight from Tokyo instead. We'll see each other there. Agreed?"

The younger man nodded.

"Well then, here's to your success in work… and in life." Akira held up his cup of coffee to Arata, who had chuckled. It made the older man happy to see some sparkle back into the young architect's eyes.

Arata felt better all of a sudden. _I'll see you soon, Chihaya._ He thought, as he accepted the older man's toast.

* * *

"Oyasumi minna! We'll see you soon, buchou!"

Taichi laughed as he accepted Kana-chan's kiss on the cheek and fist-bumped Komano as he and Chihaya saw them through the door of his unit. Nishida and Tsukuba were already far from them, Hanano-san right behind them. Komano and Kana-chan were the last to be out, and were still reeling with laughter from all the men's antics earlier. "You sure you'll be fine going home? We have more than enough space here you know." He offered, but the two shook their heads.

"As much as we would love to stay, Mashima, I'll have to take her home. You know how her mom is." Komano said in a stage whisper as Kana-chan giggled. "Maybe next time… we'll take you up on your offer."

Taichi rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Whatever, Komano. You take care then. 'Night everyone! Thanks for the good time!"

Nishida shook his head. "You should thank Chihaya. She's the one who master-minded all this!"

A chorus of laughter erupted from the retreating group as Taichi turned to her playfully. "Of course. I'll make her pay for this, no doubt."

"What? Did I do something wrong?" She asked teasingly, batting her eyelashes at him jokingly that he chuckled. She then yawned, hiding it behind one, graceful hand. "You arriving home today would have been perfectly boring if I didn't get everyone to welcome you home. Face it, Mashima Taichi: your life is boring without me."

And she had no idea how painfully true that statement was.

His eyes softened seeing the sleepy beauty standing in front of him, not having the energy to even notice the painful stinging somewhere in his chest. "I'll give you that one." He conceded, leaning in and dropping a kiss on her temple. "Now let's get you inside before you catch a cold. G'night people!" He called out once more to his friends who all responded. As the two disappeared inside, however, they shook her heads knowingly, seeing the sweet, little gesture the once aspiring doctor had given their airhead friend.

"You sure you'll be staying here? We'll need to clean up." He asked Chihaya as he strode inside, to which his best girlfriend snorted in response proudly.

"That's what I'm here for right? I master-minded the party, I should help with the clean up. It's only right; that's the responsible thing to do." Chihaya replied haughtily, her nose in the air as she began collecting various trashes as he tossed her a garbage bag.

Taichi whistled amusedly as he chuckled, opening his own garbage bag. "Well, look who's all grown-up. I never thought I'd see the day you'll start acting as a responsible adult."

His response earned him a pillow gob-smack on his stomach that he laughed once more before throwing it back to her, catching her on the shoulder. "Ow!" She exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at him in mock-annoyance.

"You started it!"

The next few minutes were spent with squeals, laughter and feathers. Chihaya couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much as she squealed when Taichi chased her around the kitchen, and Taichi's yelp as she sank her teeth in retaliation on his shoulder.

"Drat!"

As the mayhem died down, they both groaned realizing the additional mess they made that they had to clean. They looked at each other, then broke into laughter once more.

"Oh, let's just clean."

Luckily Kana-chan had the sense to use disposable plates and forks so they didn't have much dishes to wash. She dried as he washed in companionable silence, and Chihaya relished this peace and quiet between them.

Once they were done, he turned to her once more. "I could take you home, but it's already so late. You have work tomorrow?" He asked, tone light and easy as he proceeded to one of his cabinets in the kitchen and opened it, taking a bottle of his favorite red wine out.

She shook her head, watching Taichi pop the cork open expertly. "I have the day off. Can I stay here with you instead? I… don't want to be alone just yet." She then blushed and avoided his eyes. "T-That is… if I'm not overstaying my welcome."

He snorted that she flinched in response. "Since when did you worry about overstaying your welcome? This place practically became your home." He chuckled as she smacked him on the arm. "Ow. Touché." He teased, as he got himself a wine glass out from one of the cupboards.

"And what was that for?" She demanded, eyes narrowed in interrogation as she watched a thin ribbon of red liquid pour out from the bottle as he poured himself some on the wine glass he'd taken out, and he raised the glass to his lips to take a small, appreciative whiff.

"To help me sleep." He explained before drinking, and sighing in satisfaction once he had tasted it. "Ah. Best thing in the world next to books. I won't be able to sleep the next few hours, so once the jetlag kicks in, I'll have this to help me get a few good winks. So let's watch some flicks out in the living room until then – you can choose the movie and I'll keep you company. Good trade, kitten?" He asked teasingly, her cheeks flushing hearing the new nickname for her.

She harrumphed. "Since when did I become 'kitten'?" She grumbled as she made her way to the living room to choose a movie.

His response is that soft chuckle.

Thirty minutes later she and Taichi were curled up on the couch, eyes on the forty-inch, flat-screen television mounted on the wall of his living room, Chihaya gasping as the current scene depicted a car exploding not far from the character named Letty Ortiz, throwing her off the thousand-foot tall unfinished skyway, impossibly lucky to be caught by Dominic – who got tossed through the air between the two thousand-foot tall skyway roads just to catch the woman before she plummeted to her death miles below.

"I don't see how he managed to make that on time. Almost impossible." She commented, as her companion snickered in amusement watching her thoughtful expression.

"That's why it sold. This movie had a lot of good, death-defying stunts. It was titled appropriately you know, being fast and the furious and everything." He explained almost teasingly as he poured himself a second glass of wine, eyes once more riveted back to the screen.

She suddenly sobered down. "If by some chance something like that happened to me… would you jump like that, skyway a thousand feet above from the ground and all, no way to anchor you to something and catch me before I fall to _my_ death?" She asked half-jokingly, but stopped in uncertainty as she saw his expression.

Taichi stared at her, amber eyes aglow with seriousness. Chihaya stared at him back, auburn eyes expectant as she met his unflinching gaze.

"Is that a hypothetical question or…?"

"Hypothetical of course."

He turned his gaze to the wine glass, swirling the liquid around before raising his eyes once more to hers. "I would, of course. You think I'll let you splatter the grounds below with your –"

"Shut up, never mind, you're just screwing with me – " She tried to say, annoyed -

"- Bodily essences? No." He grinned, shoulders shaking in silent laughter as he ignored her attempt to cut in. "But that has a zero chance of happening, since reality-check, you'd be by Arata's side, not mine. So I won't be able to keep an eye on you." He continued, the grin dropping off of his face, his expression turning serious again as he continued to swirl the dark liquid in his glass in an almost unmindful way.

Chihaya froze when she heard him complete the response. Taichi had said it so matter-of-factly, so _sure_ , his pair of amber eyes intent on her reaction. She knew by the way his eyes followed her hand's movements and fidgets.

Silence followed, as they met each other's gazes once more. When Taichi made no move to ask about why her reaction is such, she became confused.

"You're not asking about Arata." It came out more of a statement than a clarification.

He sipped from the wine glass quietly, the movie quite forgotten by now. "Should I?" He hedged, giving her one of his penetrating stares which never failed to make her feel as if she could never lie to him.

Her auburn eyes dropped to her lap. "I… could never hide anything from you, can I?" She asked quietly, voice small and hesitant.

He averted his eyes from her to the screen once again, still sipping delicately at the wine he held and stretching his legs in front of him, much like a feline's. "I've known you since your haircut is like a boy's, Chihaya. If there is one thing I can't do – it is to fully understand how your mind works, but yes, I can understand your behavior better than anyone else's." He couldn't help but chuckle playfully as she socked him on the arm.

"And what is my behavior telling you right now?" She inquired irritatedly, unable to shake off the somewhat annoyed reaction of how Taichi has always been so good in reading her than anyone had a right to.

His eyes still on the television, he released a tight breath out. "You appear to be calm and composed, still in control, but underneath all that is a stressed out young woman who didn't want anyone to fuss over her so you go to such lengths of acting fine and well. You were looking for respite for all the stress and was more than relieved to have a welcome home party to distract you. Need I say more?" He threw her a sly, knowing glance sideways, though concern laced his voice, seeing her hands shaking that he was forced to place his left hand over hers so as to steady her.

She gave him a wry smile. "You're too intelligent for your own good, Taichi." She said, sighing shakily in defeat and running a hand over her chestnut hair. "It still amazes me to this day how you could be so spot-on when it came to reading me."

"I have to be intelligent if I want to catch the bad guys, Chihaya." He responded airily, almost soothingly as she refused to meet his gaze. He placed an index finger under her chin to make her look him in the eye. "I've had lots of practice trying to understand why you act the way you do. I could never discern what runs through your mind most of the time; but I can read your expressions. Don't be so surprised," Here he swept away strands of her hair which had fallen partly over her eyes, "because no matter what you do, your eyes give you away, sweetheart. Even if I wasn't exactly paying attention half the time, I end up guessing what you're thinking even if I don't mean to."

His finger fell from her chin, but she continued to stare at him as he leaned back once more to take another sip, her noticing that the glass was nearly empty once more. She stayed silent though, digesting what the brunette had told her. "You know you don't have to force yourself to talk about it, nor was _I_ planning to force you to. This is between you and Arata, not between the three of us. All the same, you know I will listen." He so clearly reminded her, appearing to pay attention to the movie they were supposed to be watching but she knew otherwise.

The warmth laced in his tone as he once again reminded her why they were best friends in the first place made tears form in her eyes – all against her will. Chihaya bit her lip as she struggled to keep her emotions threatening to overflow at bay, though she felt as if she was pushing an overflowing dam back with the sheer strength of her hands alone. The feeling was so intense that her hands shook even more with the effort she was taking to hold it in and not just bawl her eyes out. The last thing she wanted was to scare Taichi off.

Taichi glanced at her worriedly, his gaze immediately landing on her shaking hands. He bit his lip. He didn't mean to bait her like that – hell, he just meant to remind her that he was here should she ever need someone to absorb at least her some of her worries if not all of it, – but he also knew that it was not good to keep negative emotions bottled in. It would make her snap sometime later, if her violent reaction from the airport earlier wasn't an indication that she was close to losing it anytime soon.

He picked up the remote and shot the television off, not even bothering to stop the dvd. He placed the wine glass he was holding down on the coffee table and placed an arm around Chihaya's shoulders, taking note of her flinching as if she was no longer used to having physical contact with… a friend. He made her lean against his side, rubbing her arm soothingly and inhaling deeply. "Let it out, sweetheart. I've got all night."

The dam broke. Chihaya's hands came up to grip fistfuls of his shirt as the tears she was trying her best to hold in overwhelmed her.

"T-Taichi..." She murmured in a heartbroken tone. "I... I don't know... w-what I should do anymore."

"With what?" He asked cautiously, feeling as if he was treading on thin ice. Silence passed between them like flowing water – dark and dangerous to venture in.

"Arata." She said his name with such uncertainty and pain that he had to wonder what on earth had the megane-baka done for her to be in such an uncertain state. "Taichi... I'm starting to think I've made a grave mistake."

He held his breath, unconsciously stiffening as he listened silently, and Chihaya seemed to have found the strength in it to grit the next words out.

"I think... I think it's no longer right to continue going on in a relationship like this."

And then the water rushed in.

He listened intently as Chihaya choked the story out. His fists clenched around her as she told him, between hiccups, of what was transpiring between her and Arata. She was so upset that he didn't have the strength to stop her as she grabbed his wine glass and chugged down the remaining liquid in it, even when he wanted to grab the thing back. She had never been good at holding her liquor, but since she was with him anyway, he figured he could at least let her drink with him and regulate the amount that she could take instead.

Arata was not an idiot. Taichi knew that. But as much as he tried not to sound judgmental and remain unbiased, he knew that Arata really has to be one if he could stomach hurting his girlfriend like this. That was the only possible explanation for his actions anyway. Why else would he choose to go with his decision even when he knew how Chihaya was incredibly offended with this decision he had made alone?

But he also knew that as much as Arata had instigated the whole squabble anyway, Taichi was also aware that the former Meijin was only thinking of their future together. He had meant well, but the megane-baka probably had forgotten of the proper way to decide important things like this with Chihaya.

And that was just wrong. When one is in a relationship, you just couldn't make important life decisions like this one on your own. What was the point of being in a relationship when you were just going to disregard your loved ones' opinions anyway? He would have done well to have remained alone if he didn't want other people influencing his choices. People do not just up and leave when they feel like it and relationships are always about compromises. If the two sides cannot agree on one thing, then they would have to meet halfway.

It was a classic relationship blunder Taichi was all-too-familiar with. Even when he wanted to kick Arata's ass right now he was well aware of the fact that he was practically an outsider to their relationship, and that he still didn't have the right to meddle. All he could do was to listen and coax her to cry her heart out, if only to make her feel at least better in the morning.

Chihaya's speech started to slur when she took her fifth glass of wine. Taichi knew he would have to restrain her with this. "That's enough, kitten. This is wine but there's a great chance you'll wake up with a hangover next morning. Go on, it's off to bed with you." He scolded gently with a glance on the television clock. It read three-thirty in the morning in large, neon-green letters. He and Chihaya had been at this for five hours already.

But she didn't want to cooperate with him, evidenced by the pout forming on her lips. "What? No fair, Taichi, let me drink some more..." She protested, speech somewhat slurred as she reached for the bottle.

Taichi was faster than her, snatching the bottle from the coffee table before she could. "Now you listen to me. I've let you had your fill, but you know how bad you are holding your liquor. You have to go to sleep already, or do you want me to take you back to your apart-"

Chihaya hastily cut him off. "No! I said I'm going to sleep. Jeez, you couldn't take a joke." She grumbled as she stood up, but in her drunken stupor, she didn't notice that she'd tangled her feet somehow on the carpet. In her haste, she all-too-easily slipped.

Years of training and being in action most of the time as an officer had honed his reflexes better than karuta did for him back in his high school years. Taichi moved with near lightning-speed as Chihaya plummeted towards the floor, reaching out an arm and successfully slowing her momentum from pitching face-forward. He hurled himself in front of her, intending to put himself between her and the floor, but he underestimated the power of gravity. Instead of landing on a sitting position, he had only managed to land flat on his back as he absorbed the full impact with Chihaya safely encircled within his arms, his breath lost and the wind completely knocked out of him.

"Taichi! Kami-sama I'm sorry!" Chihaya, still in somewhat of a drunk stupor tried to push herself off from him, but due to the intoxication, or perhaps some invisible force who secretly hated him, her arms shook from the strain and she instead landed face-first against him, her lips – those tempting pink buds of hers which he had to restrain himself from ravishing earlier – landed square on his.

She. Was. Kissing. Him.

The hairs on the back of his neck all but stood on end as it became a battle of control. Taichi felt the fire in his stomach – which started from the wine – spread throughout his body the moment her lips touched his, feeling the heat travel both upwards and downwards as the earlier wild desire to claim her lips came back and slammed into him in full force. The contact was within mere seconds but already it felt like an eternity. They were so soft, and Kami-sama help him, she tasted so sweet... and bitter at the same time.

Exactly like his favorite wine.

But being a gentleman and her best friend won over his desire for her, because Taichi respected her. And Arata... no matter how he was being an incredible idiot right now, he couldn't do this to him. He was only here to comfort Chihaya, not to take advantage of her when she was so upset over the idiotic Meijin.

With great effort, he wrenched his head away from hers - and decided to act as if nothing happened. Everything was an accident after all – he couldn't think too much on it. His left arm raised to rub the back of her head. "Ow, shit. Chihaya you okay? You didn't hit your head did you?" He asked breathlessly, breath still hadn't completely returning after he'd just about had his world knocked off clean from it's axis as he tried to raise himself to a sitting position, sliding Chihaya down to his lap. He squeezed his eyes shut as he rubbed his forehead, waiting for her response.

He expected her to reply, but minutes passed and all he heard was silence. When she didn't answer he looked down to her, his eyes widening to see her gaze riveted at his mouth, auburn orbs alight with something akin to hunger. Taichi nearly blushed and looked away – was she going to make the kiss an issue? He didn't want things to be awkward – not to mention – complicated between the two of them.

"Chihaya, if you're hurt somewhere then say something - "

He never got to finish, as Chihaya leaned in all of a sudden, the hands of time seeming to freeze as her nose brushed against his in an almost clumsy but endearing way – and without further ado, sealed his mouth once more in the first heartfelt kiss she'd ever decided to give him.

* * *

 _ **Yep, sorry about this. I didn't mean for this to become a cliff-hanger, but it somehow ended like that. And I do swear that I do not know where the kiss came from, popped up and why it happened. When I thought about this later though, I realized that things were bound to get messy in the end. So my advice is: do not drink more than what you can handle – unless you want to go do something you won't be aware that you're actually doing. Hahaha.**_

 _ **Thank you to those who were kind enough to leave reviews. Though there weren't much who left any, it still makes me happy to know that some of you still took the time to check out this little corner of mine. I'll try to update much regularly, but yeah, no promises there. Hopefully you'll continue to look forward to this as I much as I do.**_

 _ **So as usual, I'd like to know what you think. Constructive criticism will always be welcome as I've said before. I'd be leaving you this for now, so see you again, dear readers! Toodles! :)**_


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